Harish Damodaran

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Significantly the MCLR increases – which would ultimately translate into higher equated monthly installments or EMIs for home-loan and other borrowers – come even without the RBI hiking its benchmark repo or overnight lending rate.

The main reason that the 20th Livestock Census — a once in five years, nationwide headcount of livestock as well as poultry, dogs and rabbits — could not be undertaken as per schedule in 2017 was, ironically, the Centre’s Digital India initiative.

All that is stated in Finance Minister Arun Jaitley’s speech is that the “Niti Aayog, in consultation with central and state governments, will put in place a foolproof mechanism so that farmers get adequate price for their produce.”

Union Budget 2018: The favourable tax treatment for farmer producer companies is a good move. Though details are awaited, hopefully these entities will be exempted from tax. If income of farmers is exempt, the same should extend to farmer-owned organisations as well.

UP mills have in the current 2017-18 sugar season (October-September), as on Wednesday, bought cane worth Rs 15,481.73 crore at the state advised price (SAP) of Rs 315 per quintal for normal and Rs 325 per quintal for early-maturing varieties.

If achieved, the 54 lakh rural houses to be built under central schemes in 2017-18 will be far higher than the 32.24 lakh in 2016-17, 18.24 lakh in 2015-16, 11.89 lakh in 2014-15, 10.49 lakh in 2013-14 and 10.47 lakh in 2012-13.